The present invention relates to the chain arts, and in particular, a short pitch tooth chain that provides improved noise reduction over conventional tooth chains.
Drive chain systems and timing chain systems incorporating known chains such as inverted tooth chains and roller chains have several components of undesirable noise. A major source of noise is the sound generated as the chain engaging members, such as inverted teeth or rollers, leave the span and collide with a sprocket during meshing. The resulting impact noise is repeated with a frequency generally equal to that of the frequency of the chain meshing with the sprocket. It is known that the impact noise levels associated with chains can be reduced by altering the engagement geometry of the chain and/or sprocket to, in part, reduce the impact energy that must be absorbed during the meshing process.
The present invention contemplates a new and improved short pitch tooth chain which provides improved noise reduction over conventional inverted tooth chains.